After a three year, Covid-induced hiatus, Golden Plains announced its return and music festival heads breathed a collective sigh of relief. Only four months prior, Meredith (the sister festival at the same location) took place after a break of two years and cemented the adage of ‘absence making the heart grow fonder’. Golden Plains was back and the excitement was palpable. Perhaps a refreshing sign of the times was the largest crowd amassed early on Saturday afternoon for the smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country. As the dust settles one week on, general consensus pins the 15th Golden Plains as one of the best editions yet. By no means exhaustive - below are some musical highlights that tickled this particular reviewer’s fancy. 

Angel Olsen, who last toured the country in 2018, took to the helm on Saturday night with a lush six-piece band and brought a sense of purification to the collective mass of bodies. ‘Shut Up Kiss Me’ and other classics had everyone in full sing-along mode. It was an enchanting set that culminated perfectly with a rendition of the Badfinger’s classic ‘Without You’, which brought many a tear to the transfixed eyes staring up lovingly towards the stage.

British dance duo Overmono, came out in full focus - heads down over their live equipment as they arranged dizzying build ups of rolling vocals interspersed with growling basslines. A set doused in an immense control of tension and release, they blitzed through an immense catalogue that captivated the first night pleasure seekers, including an unreleased remix of ‘The Streets - Turn the Page’ which delighted those in the know. The metric of enjoyment in the crowd was less of the customary raising of boots, and more of the ‘stank faces’ which seemed to accompany nearly all tracks played. Gone in a flash, the brilliance of Overmono’s set, and the accompanying visuals of doberman’s, were touted as highlights across many overhead conversations the next day. 

Evidenced by the large swathes of eager faces, Brian Jackson, a long time collaborative partner of Gil Scott-Heron, was not to be missed. An expert in storytelling, Brian Jackson kept all enthralled with stories from 1970’s America sprinkled between expertly played renditions of some seminal tracks. Hearing ‘The Bottle’, ‘We Almost Lost Detroit’ & ‘Home Is Where the Hatred Is’ drift lazily across the afternoon crowd felt immensely special. It’s well known that Australian crowds in general are not particularly good at singing in key, so there may have been a slow ripple of doubt when Brian Jackson pulled out a flute to do some ‘call and response’ with the crowd - he’d play a short phrase, the crowd would sing it back to him, and his guitarist, turned adjudicator, would provide a score out - thankfully, a ‘10, 9 and a 10’ were received - well played to all involved. 

The 58 year old Tokyo native's live performance was a solid contender for ‘The Golden Boot’. Soichi Terada, sharing many of the same parallels as Golden Plains, seems to get better with the passage of time and the crowd’s appreciation for his special brand of graciousness seems to grow with each appearance. Accompanied by his origami paper mouth, and trusty Kaoss Pad, Soichi had the crowd mesmerised from the second he flashed his trademark smile and raised both hands above his head. Playing a set ranging from cuts off his ‘Sounds from the Far East’ compilation, to newer sounds like those in his 2022 album ‘Asakusa Light’, Soichi captured the hearts of young and old alike. Facial expressions of people turning to their friends in blissful amazement are seared in the mind’s eye of this reviewer in what was an hour of brilliantly endearing microcosms for the festival at large.

When Sunday night has firmly taken hold, and the long awaited English-born extraordinaire Four Tet steps out unassumingly to the stage - you can feel the crowd rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a masterclass. A three-hour slot feels like an eternity until you are experiencing it in the flesh. Weaving a rich tapestry of mind-bending basslines with the pop vocals of the likes of Ne-Yo, Ariana Grande and Taylor - you can’t help but smile at how richly deserved his recognition amongst the masses has come. Half way through the set, Four Tet casually snacks on an apple while the crowd reels from an onslaught of some of the boppiest, stonking tech-house tracks ever heard at Golden Plains - it’s a pretty memorable disparity. 

Twice a year you get the opportunity to experience partying in this home away from home and, rather than growing stale, it seems to constantly elevate its reputation and the crowd is a large contributor. The two days across Golden Plains bear witness to countless interactions and gestures of goodwill. It’s a festival that renews your faith in the decentness of people each time it circles back around. Stay golden, Golden Plains. x